Cover Letter Tips for Neonatal Nurse Jobs

There are many neonatal nurse jobs out there waiting to be filled. If you're interested in securing one of these challenging positions, an excellent cover letter is a major plus to being hired in this very competitive field. Here are some tips for composing that cover letter. We will look in detail at each section of the letter.

HEADING AND OPENING

The top left portion of the letter should contain a block with your name and all of your contact information, including home address, home phone, cell phone and email address. This block can also be positioned in the center of the page but the traditional style is to place it in the top left position. Then, after a double space, a block containing the name, title and address of the person you are sending the letter to should be located on the left side of the page.

You want to make sure the first sentence of the letter grabs the attention of the reader right away. Do not belabor the obvious and say something like "I am interested in working as a neonatal nurse". If you were referred to the job by a current employee of the hospital or clinic, mention this right away. An example might be: "Nurse Harriet Jones of St. Anytown Hospital has recommended me for a position in your neonatal ward." If you are a recent graduate of a nursing school, this is also something to mention right away: "As a recent graduate of Anytown University's neonatal program, I am definitely interested in working in the neonatal department of your hospital."

The opening paragraph is where you hook the reader; the body is where you expand on the reasons you should be hired.

THE BODY

The body is where you use your experience and achievements to sell yourself. This section can be covered in one paragraph or two at the most. More than two would be cumbersome. Be concise with descriptions of your achievements. Do not "lay it on thick" with too many adjectives. Cover responsibilities you carried out on previous assignments. If you had any commendations or promotions in previous positions, this is the place to mention them.

You may wish to use a bulleted format if you have multiple points to cover. Be careful to keep the bullet points very focused and to the point. Following are some examples of bullet points you could use:

"Worked as an intern in neonatal ward of Cardinal Hospital in Chicago, dealing with a high volume of crisis cases"

"Received commendation from Dr. John Smith of Main Street Clinic for exceptional performance in my duties there."

"Had experience managing other neonatal nurses in multiple areas at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston"

The experiences and references can be expanded on in your resume, but these "tidbits" will certainly gain the reader's interest.

THE CLOSING

Your last paragraph should again briefly state your strong desire for the position and thank the hiring manager or department head for their consideration. The best complimentary closings for the letter would include "Respectfully yours" or "Very truly yours".

An excellent source of information on nursing cover letters can be found at: